James 2:1-13
As Christians it is our responsibility to God to grow in
God’s word and by that grow in grace. Some Christians have failed to mature as godly
children of God. Maturity begins with fearing God and respecting His word for
what is says and not for what we think it says. We ought to continually search
the scriptures daily, ask God’s Holy Spirit to teach us, and obey the truth. “For
the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction
are the way of life:” Proverbs 6:23 The bible is a light to our personal
understanding of the mind and thoughts of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The
scriptures are not of a private interpretation, it does not say or mean what
you prefer it to, it’s God’s word. “Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation.” 2
Peter 1:20 God teaches His children about “love”, but not just love, His love
that He has given to us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” Galatians 5:22 People
are not born with these things, they are gifts from God after we are saved, it
is our Christian responsibility to study and grow these spiritual gifts. If we
look at God’s gift of “election” to us, it must have all began with “love”,
God’s love is what caused us to be part of His elected fold before the
foundation of the world. It was His love that sent His Son Jesus our Christ to
Calvary for a people that would be born at enmity with Him. As Christians we
have a great desire to learn of God, to learn His word, His commandments, his
doctrine, and obeying it all. In James chapter one God teaches us that a mature Christian’s patience is tested and from that
testing we can scale our biblical education. James 1:2 - 4 "My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (3) Knowing
this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (4) But let patience have
her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
Once we learn and mature in patience then the Lord teaches us about respecting
others in your life. Not for who they are, not for them being of like faith,
not for them being your best friend, and not for them being wealthy. No, not at
all, God says “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors.” James 2:9 As Christian’s it is our
maturity in the scriptures as they teach us to love and respect other people,
even to the point of praying for our enemies. “But I say unto you which
hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, (28) Bless
them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” Luke
6:27 – 28 Did you hear what God said, then obey what God has said. The very
reason we are to love and respect other people is because God commanded it. Can
you imagen how Christians must have felt about Saul of Tarsus, can you imagen
the churches allowing him to teach them? We never know who God is going to save;
therefore, we cannot hate anyone, not even our enemy or those that hates us.
Only God knows everything, what we may see, or know, or think, may cause us not
to respect someone later if God saves them. Next, money means nothing to a
Christian or church, the very day we allow money to affect our thinking we are
contaminated. There are a lot of very poor Christians in the world, almost
entire countries that has very poor but very devout believes in them. I have
been judged by church members because we were poor, we had nothing, but God
saved me therefore I have everything. God said if we judge people for what they
have or do not have then we are thinking evil. “Are ye not then partial in
yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” James 2:4 Would you
have welcomed John the Baptist into your church, what about Jesus? Then why not
poor people, never treat another person especially a child of God in an unworthy
way. I know people that are in real need, they are trying to survive in a very
horrible habitat. While most Americans enjoy a hamburger for dinner they go
without or eat rice and water. Their cloths are torn and tattered, they work
hard and do without, they work lots of hours a day for less than we make an
hour. But their as much a child of the King as we are. God put them in this habitat,
and they understand and respect that, but they should never be disrespected. Let
us understand that helping others and treating everyone with respect is a
commandment not an option. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and
yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10
Failing to keep to all of God’s commandments can cause us to lose
rewards of other good we have done.
